He was born as a blacksmith, but he dominated the world

Chapter 371 Verification of Life and Death

Jiang Lin took a step forward and arrived on the street in an instant.

It is still bustling with people, traffic and activity here.

However, what made Jiang Lin tremble was that in that dark alley, he saw the old man he had seen decades ago, walking out carrying a candied haws.

There was still a group of happy children around me, jumping with their hands out and standing on tiptoe.

The old man plucked a string of candied haws and gave each person a hawthorn coated with crystal sugar.

His movements, expressions, and even eyes are exactly the same as they were decades ago!
Jiang Lin couldn't help but walk forward and reach out to take the candied haws, just like when he first came here.

The old man grabbed his wrist again, but he no longer gave it to him in a friendly manner. Instead, he frowned and said, "Why are you so rude, young man? Are you trying to take advantage of me in broad daylight?"

Jiang Lin looked at him. The old man's expression did not seem fake. He was really angry at the shameless young man in front of him.

How could someone with such a tall physique do such a vulgar thing!
Jiang Lin did not forcefully take the candied haws. He retracted his hand, looked at the old man, and asked, "Do you know me?"

The old man said, "How could I not recognize you? Aren't you the apprentice of the blacksmith Ma? Now everyone in the city knows you."

Jiang Lin frowned even more tightly. He looked down at the children around him and was sure that they were exactly the same as those children decades ago.

Why is this happening?
"sorry."

Jiang Lin bowed and turned to leave.

The old man behind him watched him leave and couldn't help but mutter, "No wonder everyone says he is stupid, it's true."

Jiang Lin walked along the street and soon stopped at a steamed bun shop.

He felt that he had seen this bun shop three times, but in fact, he had only passed by here once since he came to this world.

The vendor selling buns waved his hand and invited passers-by to taste the buns, just like he was seeing them for the first time.

"These are big and fragrant buns. Come and try them."

Movements, postures, expressions, no change.

Seeing Jiang Lin standing still in front of the stall, the vendor asked, "You are Master Hong, right?"

Jiang Lin asked: "Do you know me?"

“How could I not know you? Aren’t you the apprentice of Ma the blacksmith? Everyone in the city knows you.” The peddler said with a smile.

This sentence is exactly the same as what the old man selling candied haws said.

Jiang Lin didn't respond and turned away.

A vendor's voice came from behind me: "Big, fragrant buns. If they don't taste good, I'll give you money."

Jiang Lin looked back at the vendor and vaguely felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what it was.

He walked up and down the street, but apart from the people he had seen decades ago but who had remained the same, he could not find any other problems.

Finally, he still stopped in front of the steamed bun shop.

Looking at the vendor who had not changed for decades, Jiang Lin stared at him and asked, "Do you know how to live forever?"

"Immortality?" The vendor was startled, then laughed and said, "Master Hong, this question is very strange. If I knew what immortality is, I wouldn't be selling buns here."

Jiang Lin looked at him for a moment, then turned and left.

The vendor's voice came from behind: "Delicious buns, very fragrant."

This voice made Jiang Lin turn around, but he saw that the vendor's movements, expression, and words were all different from before.

His brows were tightly furrowed, and he felt as if he had grasped something, but it was not quite clear.

After returning to the blacksmith shop, Jiang Lin lit the furnace and put in a large piece of iron as usual, but just stared at the fire in a daze.

I don't know how long it took, but I heard a voice beside me: "Grandpa Hong, the fire is out."

Jiang Lin looked up and saw that the flame in the furnace had indeed gone out.

He turned his head and saw the little girl Ma Ningyan beside him.

She was wearing a long green dress and seemed to have grown up a little since we first met.

A faint breath rose from her body and continuously flowed into Jiang Lin's heart.

Looking at this little girl who had already formed some kind of connection with him, Jiang Lin asked inexplicably: "Do you know why a person can remain unchanged for decades?"

Ma Ningyan, who was only nine years old, was a little confused and said subconsciously: "Unchanged for decades? Is it like you, Grandpa Hong? But I haven't seen what you looked like before, so I don't know if you have changed."

This answer sounds meaningless.

Jiang Lin turned around, picked up the fire tongs, and was about to take out the extinguished charcoal slag in the furnace when an idea suddenly came to his mind.

He turned his head abruptly and looked at Ma Ningyan: "You just said that you haven't seen what I looked like before, so you don't know if I have changed?"

Ma Ningyan was startled by him and said timidly: "Yes, I haven't seen it before..."

The confusion in Jiang Lin's eyes dissipated again. He murmured to himself: "I haven't seen it...so it hasn't changed. Yes, how can it change if I haven't seen it. But I have seen them..."

"No, I have never seen them in these years."

Ma Ningyan looked at Jiang Lin muttering to himself, feeling a little at a loss.

Did you say something wrong?

The little girl tried hard to recall, but she couldn't remember what she said wrong.

Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa Hong, what's wrong with you? Did I say something wrong? Can I apologize to you?"

Jiang Lin seemed to come back to his senses. He stared at Ma Ningyan, a faint smile that no one had ever seen on his face.

Raising his hand and gently touching the little girl's head, Jiang Lin said: "You didn't say anything wrong, you are right."

Ma Ningyan was a little stunned. Could Grandpa Hong actually laugh?
The next day, Jiang Lin went to the street again.

He first glanced at the old man selling candied haws. He was no longer the one who came out of the alley surrounded by children. Instead, he was carrying a straw stick full of candied haws and selling them on the street.

Jiang Lin looked at it for a while, then went back to the bun shop. The vendor's call today was very loud: "Delicious big buns, fragrant and cheap!"

After looking for a while, Jiang Lin arrived at the end of the street, which was a restaurant.

Business is good, and the boss is very honest.

After staring at the restaurant for a while, Jiang Lin returned to the blacksmith shop.

From that day on, he would go to the bun shop to buy buns every day. If he happened to meet an old man selling candied haws, he would buy another string of candied haws.

As for the restaurant at the end of the street, which was a little far away, I never went there again.

There was a faint scent rising from the old man's straw sticks and the steamers in the bun shop, which were associated with him.

The same is true for some other families nearby.

The days passed one by one, and in the blink of an eye, more than ten years had passed.

When Jiang Lin returned to the bun shop, he saw a beautiful young woman standing there waiting for a long time.

Seeing Jiang Lin coming back, the woman quickly ran up to him, hugged Jiang Lin's arm, and said with a smile: "Are you going to buy buns again? I don't know what you are going to do. Every time you buy buns, you don't eat them and just leave them there. They are about to pile up into a mountain."

This is true. Jiang Lin only buys one bun each time but never eats it.

The things stored in the house are almost full.

Jiang Lin did not answer this question. He calmly pulled his arm out of her arms and asked, "Why are you here again?"

"What do you mean you're here again? It's as if Grandpa Hong doesn't like me coming here."

This woman is the grown-up Ma Ningyan.

Seeing that Jiang Lin didn't respond and walked back on his own, Ma Ningyan stamped her feet slightly, chased after him, and chattered non-stop: "It's my father who said that men should get married when they are old enough and women should get married when they are old enough, and urged me to get married. I'm so annoyed by him that I ran to your place to hide away."

Ma Ningyan is now so beautiful that she is so stunningly beautiful that she can make fishes sink to the bottom of water and geese fall to the ground. It is said that the people who come to propose marriage to her are ranging from high-ranking officials to wealthy people, well-read people, or people with great martial arts skills.

But she was not interested in these people or these things. Instead, she was very familiar with Yu'er's adopted sons and daughters. When she had nothing to do, she would secretly run off to travel around the world with them.

Be well-known, well-informed and have the world in mind.

No one from the Ma family dared to disturb Jiang Lin's blacksmith shop. Only Ma Ningyan, who had known him well since childhood, would come here whenever she had time, especially when she was forced to get married by her family.

"Grandpa Hong, I haven't eaten yet. Would you like to eat this bun?" Ma Ningyan asked.

"You eat it." Jiang Lin handed over the bun.

Ma Ningyan took it in her hand. Although she looked careless, she actually ate like a wealthy family.

I pinched off a small piece and put it in my mouth, chewing it slowly. I couldn't even see my teeth.

Only after she had swallowed the whole bun did she run to the blacksmith shop, ignoring the high temperature from the rising fire, and asked curiously, "Grandpa Hong, the buns don't taste that good, why do you buy them every day?"

"I want to verify one thing." Jiang Lin said.

"Verify what?" Ma Ningyan became even more curious.

In her opinion, Jiang Lin seemed to have no interest in anything in the world.

Apart from burning paper to worship the blacksmith couple Ma, Yu'er, and Malu every year, he only leaves here to buy buns.

Jiang Lin pounded the iron in his hand and said without raising his head: "I may have to leave."

Ma Ningyan was stunned, and then her face showed obvious panic: "Where are you going?"

"Go where I should go." Jiang Lin said.

"Where are you supposed to go? Isn't it here?"

"No."

Ma Ningyan looked panicked. After Ma Lu's death, she spent more than half of the past ten years in the blacksmith shop.

Only here will you not be disturbed by anyone.

She relies on Jiang Lin much more than on her father and siblings.

Now that I heard that Jiang Lin was leaving, how could I not be panicked.

Ma Ningyan lowered her head and asked, "When are you leaving?"

Jiang Lin paused for a moment, then said, "I'm not sure yet, maybe a few months, or maybe a few decades."

In the past ten years or so, the old man who sold candied haws has disappeared. I heard that he passed away.

Many vendors on that street have also changed.

As for the bun shop...

The once young hawker is now middle-aged and seems to have contracted lung disease, coughing all day long.

Hearing this, Ma Ningyan breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that they were not leaving immediately.

"You should go back." Jiang Lin said.

"Ah? Why are you chasing me away? I'm not disturbing you." Ma Ningyan pouted.

She is already in her twenties and should have become a mother in this world long ago, but now she still acts like a child.

"Go ahead." Jiang Lin's attitude was unquestionable.

Ma Ningyan knew his temper. Although he rarely got angry, he always kept his word.

She had no choice but to lower her head and leave the blacksmith shop.

I watched this granddaughter-like girl get on the carriage and slowly disappear from my sight.

Jiang Lin stopped hammering and looked forward. His eyes seemed to be able to see Yu'er's home through the walls.

"Is it because I'm here that you'll die?"

(End of this chapter)